SURRENDER
The war was definitely getting worse.
Palutena was in her temple watching Pit through the mirror pool, nicknamed her "All-seeing eye". Frowning in concentration she tried to get a better view of Pit. His image flickered in the pool before becoming clearer. Palutena winced as Pit took another hard blow.
"Hang in there Pit!" Palutena communicated telepathically.
"I-I'm trying!" Pit said as he barely missed the fire of several Monoeyes, who had gathered around him. He was surrounded. Every time he took out one monster, two more would appear. They were running out of options. Fast. Pit had already used his power-ups, Drink of the Gods and power of flight. She couldn't even send in centurions because they were busy protecting the remaining angels from the Underworld Army. The only option left was...
"Pit, I'm going to pull you out!" Palutena said. Even though she didn't want to, they were getting nowhere and Pit was tiring quickly.
Just as Palutena was going to extract Pit she heard a deep, echoing feminine voice. It was laughing and seemed to be coming from... everywhere...
"Medusa?!" Paultena asked, in a mixture of surprise and shock, turning around. How could she have gotten into her temple undetected? Surely there were a few centurions guarding her palace. Unfortunately, that moment of distraction was all Medusa needed.
"AAAHHH!"
"Pit!" Palutena cried, turning her attention back to the mirror pool. She watched helplessly as Medusa relentlessly hit Pit. The force was so hard, that he fell to the ground. Planting her foot firmly on his back, so he couldn't budge, she tore his laurels off and through them aside, causing Palutena to loose contact with Pit. That also meant she couldn't extract him. Palutena chewed her lip nervously. She couldn't leave Medusa alone with Pit especially in that condition. Medusa looked so... so powerful. Palutena shuddered at the thought that her sister might actually be more powerful than herself. A lot can change in twenty-five years. Was Palutena about to learn the hard way? Remembering that Pit was on the roof of the temple, Palutena warped to him.
"Well if it isn't Pretty Palutena?" Medusa spat, her voice tainted with jealousy at 'Pretty Palutena', "Are you finished hiding in your temple?"
"Don't talk to Lady Palutena that way!" Pit commanded. He charged at Medusa with his blades facing forward hoping to stab her. There were obvious bruises on his back where Medusa had struck him.
"Do you really think your toys can stop me?" Medusa laughed before flicking up a reflective barrier at the last second. Pit ran straight into it. He was blown back twenty feet straight at a marble pillar. Groaning, he fell to the ground. He was dazed, and didn't make an attempt to get up. Either that or he was unconscious.
Palutena griped her staff tighter, and turned pale at the sight of Pit. Was that blood leaking from the heap Pit had collapsed into? The Light Goddess gathered energy into her staff, and quick as light she shot pure light energy at Medusa. Just as quickly, Medusa teleported away and re-appeared behind Palutena. Turning her staff horizontal, Medusa hooked it underneath Paluena's chin, pulling the staff towards her. Palutena began to choke, struggling to breathe.
"Leave. Her. ALONE!" Pit yelled through gasps. His left hand clutched a gash on his right side while he used his free hand to pull himself up against the pillar. Blood stained the whole right side of his toga, and was already forming a puddle around him. He had landed on his own blade. The blade lay on the floor a few feet away from Pit. It was covered in blood, pieces of cloth and skin clinging to it.
"You just don't give up, do you?" Medusa sighed impatiently, thinking that Pit would have been finished after that. Dropping Palutena, she formulated a dark aura around her left arm. Palutena sat rubbing the red spot on her neck where Medusa's staff pressed, and drawing in shaky breaths. Slowly, Medusa raised her arm, bringing Pit up with it.
"Argh! Let me go!" Pit growled, struggling to break free from the dark energy's grasp. He clawed at his neck, as if someone was choking him.
Medusa laughed at how pathetic he looked. "Some hero," she snorted, "You couldn't even protect your goddess, let alone keep your vow to protect the humans!" The Dark Goddess delivered a hard kick to Palutena's side, who squeaked when the air escaped her. Watching Pit's enraged reaction just made her laugh harder. "Let us see how useful you are as stone"
Pit's eyes went wide. She wouldn't do that would she? Medusa made her way over to Pit, smiling evilly, as if this was something she would enjoy. Being an Underworld goddess, she probably would. Medusa cracked her knuckles threateningly.
"NO! Medusa don't!" Palutena cried in vain. But it was too late. Medusa grabbed Pit's head and forced him to look straight into her eyes. They glinted ruby red for a second before turning him to stone. Pit, now just a lifeless statute fell to the ground harmlessly in front of Medusa.
"There, that's better," Medusa said casually, as she polished her nails on the statue's shoulder mockingly.
"You monster!" Palutena seethed in disbelief.
This couldn't be true! Medusa hadn't just turned Pit to stone. No, she couldn't. There had to be a way to save him. There had to be. She had enough power to warp him to safety, didn't she? Then all she would have to do was get Pittoo to take him back to the Rewind Spring. Just a quick dip in-
"It'll never work," Medusa smirked. She crossed her arms and looked smug.
"What? What do you mean?" Palutena asked, genuinely surprised.
"You can't save him." Medusa said plainly, as if it was obvious, and she was trying to explain to a five year old.
"What? How did you-," Palutena demanded, shocked that Medusa knew what she was planning. Was she that easy to read, or could Medusa read her mind? "Why?"
Medusa smiled cruelly. "This is why." Medusa rested on Pit's shoulder, pushing him closer to the edge. A second later, it was plummeting towards the ground. It shattered upon contact.
Palutena's jaw dropped. There, in a pile of stone rubble, lay her hero, shattered beyond repair. This was all her fault. He had tried to protect her, and now he was gone. Tears slipped from the goddess's eyes as the realization sunk in. Without him the Underworld could win, in fact they probably would. He was the only thing stopping them from winning. Why had she been so ignorant, so stupid? This was all her fault! All her -
"Feeling a little inadequate Palutena?" Medusa mocked, echoing the time Palutena said that to Viridi at the Rewind Spring.
"How did you know?" Palutena said quietly, almost in a whisper.
Medusa pouted in mock hurt and sadness.
"Have you forgotten that we ruled Skyworld together? Did you not grow close to me, and trust me, and love me like a sister? All those years have paid off." Medusa continued with satisfaction at the surprised and hurt face coming from her sister, "You, my sister, are as easy to read as a book. You would, and had, found a way to save him after I turned him to stone. I could see it in your face. There is a price for being too naïve, hmm? Did you think that I actually cared for you before? You, being my greatest opponent, made me need to find a weak spot. So I pretended to care for you so I could learn your secrets. You were always soft Palutena. Too trusting. You let me see your emotions and know you inside out. After that I was able to predict your every move, every thought. Not so wise now, are we Professor Palutena."
Palutena stared daggers at Medusa. What she said had stung. Trying to mask her emotions Palutena gritted her teeth and replied, "You will pay."
"Oh, will I?" Medusa teased as her body flickered and disappeared, narrowly avoiding being hit with Palutena's staff. Palutena stood in the center of the roof, right in the middle of the sun design, frantically looking around for Medusa. Five rays "shone" out of the center, each fading away between two pillars. Five Medusas reappeared, one on each beam of light. Medusa and her duplicates held their staff's Skyward. The sky turned blood red and menacing clouds rolled in, blocking the sun and shrouding the land in an eerie darkness. Thunder cackled overhead, threatening of a storm. Bolts of black lightning struck their staff's, giving Medusa, and her clones, an immense amount of power. Taking aim at Palutena they released the energy in a beam.
Palutena screeched in agony as the electricity made contact with her.
The five Medusa's fused back into the original. Medusa walked up behind Palutena.
"I was always more powerful." Medusa gloated. Palutena just breathed heavily groaning in pain.
"Surrender." Medusa demanded, slowly walking around Palutena. Stopping in front of Palutena's face she repeated her demand:
"Surrender." Palutena turned away, biting her lip and trying to force the tears not to come.
"Surrender." Every time Medusa said it, it felt like she was being stabbed. I failed...Palutena thought, blinking her eyes to rid of the tears.
"Surrender." Medusa said getting impatient. The tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. I failed...I failed...I –
"Why are you so defiant!" Medusa yelled furiously, "What do you keep trying to protect?! There is nothing left! Your army was defeated, Skyworld is in ruins, your people slaughtered at my hand, including your precious Pit, and worst of all you failed your duty as a goddess to protect the humans! There is NOTHING left! You failed!"
Surveying her surroundings Palutena knew she was right. The smell of smoke and blood hung in the air. The screams of angels could be heard amidst the flaming homes. In the sky centurions fell and monsters took their place. And it was all her fault. Her duty was to protect Skyworld and Earth, but she had failed. She had failed miserably.
Slowly letting the staff fall from her hand, Palutena whispered, "I surrender."
And her world went black.